Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Abdul Awal Mintoo said the need to translate national climate policies and plans into coordinated programmes, quality projects, appropriate financing and measurable results.

He said that today’s development decisions would shape climate risks for decades to come. Every major investment must therefore take the climate conditions of the relevant area into account.

The Minister made these remarks as the chief guest at the opening ceremony of the two-day Bangladesh Climate Development Partnership (BCDP) Knowledge Conference 2026 at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka on Wednesday.

On the occasion, he launched the BCDP Web Portal. Through real-time project monitoring, the digital portal will help manage information on climate-related projects and investments, enhance transparency and improve processes for developing domestic and international climate finance pipelines.

The Minister said that adaptation investments often deliver significant public benefits even when they do not generate direct revenue. Climate financing arrangements must reflect Bangladesh’s development priorities and fiscal capacity. He also called for private investment in clean energy and sustainable infrastructure.

The Minister said that women, young people, persons with disabilities and marginalised communities must have meaningful opportunities to participate in project design, implementation and monitoring. Alongside effective institutions, sound investment decisions and transparent use of resources, Bangladesh would continue to call for international support and climate justice in addressing adaptation and climate-related loss and damage.

Speaking as a special guest, State Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Sheikh Faridul Islam highlighted increasing coastal salinity, declining crop production and growing pressures on people’s lives and livelihoods caused by climate change.

He said the government was prioritising nature-based solutions to address these challenges. He highlighted canal excavation and tree-planting programmes, as well as the government’s emphasis on expanding the use of electric buses and solar power for low-carbon development. The State Minister sought active cooperation from partner organisations to make BCDP’s activities more dynamic and effective.

Also speaking as a special guest, Md Saimum Parvez, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, said that Bangladesh’s climate adaptation experience was a story of courage, innovation and collective action.

Parvez emphasized local community leadership and ownership, accessible and equitable grant-based financing, local capacity development, and transparency and accountability.

He called for sharing Bangladesh’s experience in early warning systems and community-based adaptation, and for translating the conference discussions into concrete commitments, effective partnerships and practical action.

ADB Executive Director Satya Srinivas Lolla, who represents Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Lao PDR, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, said that implementing Bangladesh’s national climate plans required substantial investment from both the public and private sectors.

The conference’s success would be determined by subsequent action and investment. He emphasised bringing together financing, technical expertise, institutional capacity and partnerships to help Bangladesh move from planning to implementation.

Discussions on the first day focused on climate resilience and low-carbon growth, the National Adaptation Plan and implementation of NDC 3.0.

Tomorrow, 8 October, sessions will address energy transition, low-carbon transport, water resources management, climate-resilient agriculture and the preparation of investment-ready projects, among other topics.

Strengthening coordination, financing and partnerships to implement the National Adaptation Plan 2023–2050 and NDC 3.0 is one of the conference’s key objectives.

The opening ceremony was chaired by Fahmida Khanam, Acting Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Mohammad Navid Shafiullah, Additional Secretary (Climate Change), delivered the welcome address, while Joint Secretary Munira Sultana moderated the event.

Organised by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change with support from the Asian Development Bank, the two-day conference brought together more than 500 policymakers, development partners, experts, private sector representatives, academics and civil society representatives.